PITTSBURGH \u2014 About 50 demonstrators gathered outside the City-County Building in Downtown Pittsburgh on Monday night, joining protests in roughly 40 cities nationwide calling for an end to the U.S. military operation in Iran.<\/p>\n
Chants filled Grant Street as organizers described the operation, known as \u201cEpic Fury,\u201d as unlawful and dangerous.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re standing in protest today against the illegal war that Donald Trump has initiated against the Iranian people,\u201d said June Querques, an organizer of the rally.<\/p>\n
The protest comes as tensions continue rising in the Middle East. <\/p>\n
President Donald Trump said Monday the military campaign could last four to five weeks and possibly longer.<\/p>\n
Organizers said they fear the conflict could expand and have global consequences.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something that is affecting hundreds of millions of people not just in Iran and the United States but the entire region and really the whole world, because our world is interconnected,\u201d Querques said.<\/p>\n
They added that decisions about Iran\u2019s future should be left to its citizens.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur stance is that it\u2019s up to the Iranian people to decide their future. And that\u2019s not something that could be imposed upon them through bombs and from the United States through the outside,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Protesters also warned about economic ripple effects at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe global economy is interconnected and so when there is war in Iran that ends up hurting people in the U.S. because of things like gas prices,\u201d Querques said.<\/p>\n
Organizers said they plan to continue rallying in the coming days.<\/p>\n
The Trump administration has defended the strikes, saying they are necessary for national security and to deter future aggression from Iran.<\/p>\n
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